Coates 146 has become a battleground for freedom of expression.
Slogans such as “George Bush is the anti-christ” and “Be afraid because paranoia is patriotic” decorate the wall and door.
Shaun Treat, a speech communications instructor, resides in Coates 146.
Treat said the in-your-face news clippings and posters are intended to be thought-provoking.
“It was started to expose students to news and views they normally wouldn’t be exposed to,” he said.
Mark Schafer, a political science administrative professor, said the door is good because it gets students to think outside of their own beliefs.
Schafer said he uses similar techniques to challenge his students.
Treat said his main goal is to generate discussion and encourage democratic dialogue.
“I know it’s working,” he said.
The door, which was started after Sept. 11, 2001, has attracted both positive and negative attention.
Many of the posters and articles display negative images of President George W. Bush and criticize his administration.
One poster – of a man with a red, white and blue scarf covering his mouth – reads “Patriotism means no questions.”
Comparisons between Adolf Hitler and Bush also are featured on the door.
Some people will dismiss the door as being anti-American and extremely liberal, Treat said. They are threatened by people who hold different beliefs.
He said when he is in his office, he often can hear people making disparaging remarks about the clippings and posters on his door.
Treat said when he tries to engage in discussions with them, they often back away.
Daniel Session, a biological chemistry senior, said he has discussed the clippings with Treat.
“It’s a good idea to have dissenting ideas,” Sessions said.
Session said he does not believe that the door is anti-American, but it is anti-Bush.
Jake Leslie, a fashion merchandising junior, said he does not agree with everything on the door, but he does find some truth to the posters.
Tamika Washington, an education graduate student, said Treat’s tactics will not persuade people to change their ideas.
Treat said because he is interested in discourse and dialogue, he only wants to get people engaging in conversations with others who have different ideas.
Schafer said people tend to become defensive when their beliefs are challenged by others.
He said belief system defenses prevent people from fully engaging in conversations and understanding ideas other than their own.
It is important for University professors to teach students to look outside of their own perspective, Schafer said. Students who do learn to think critically about the events around them tend to have a better understanding of people and policies than those who do not, he said.
Most people do not want to look at different perspectives because it is hard for them to consider anything that is not in their belief system, Schafer said.
Treat said people who are uncomfortable with the door should examine their beliefs.
But most people only want to be exposed to information they agree with, Treat said. They censor what they don’t want to hear.
He said people have tried to censor him by destroying his posters and clippings on the door.
People get really upset and tear things off, Treat said.
Last semester, during the first stage of the Iraq occupation, people ripped clippings down regularly.
“I caught two young Republicans tearing stuff off,” Treat said.
He said although many posters contain negative references to Bush, he does not feel he is a bad person.
Treat said he feels it is important for people to question the president and many of his policies.
Schafer said it is terrible if a student is locked into thinking everything Bush says is good.
“Our job is to question things,” he said
Most Americans used political labels to define their beliefs, he said. Bush supporters blindly follow the president because they define themselves as Republicans.
“Labels are stupid because no one is 100 percent Republican and 100 percent Democrat,” Treat said.
Some Americans follow Bush only because he is the president, Treat said. But many of his supporters have failed to become informed about the major decisions made by Bush’s administration.
“People [have given] up their authority to be informed,” he said.
Treat said political correctness has given rise to conformity among Americans.
He said people who have ideas different from those that are considered politically correct, do not express them for fear of a backlash.
Schafer said he believes that there is a lot of conformity, but political correctness has not led to closed-off conversations.
The social pressures of conformity have damaged society, Schafer said. The pressures come from both conservatives and liberals.
Treat said he has experienced a backlash from the University’s administration and other faculty members.
He said custodial workers have been sent by the University’s administration to pressure him to remove the clippings.
Chancellor Mark Emmert said he has not sent anyone to pressure Treat to remove the clippings.
Treat also said he has received e-mail threats.
Despite the threats and pressure from the University, Treat has not removed the clippings, and he said he will keep the door up as long as students and faculty keep responding.
He also said that because the clippings are featured on the door does not mean he is anti-American.
“Criticizing the president doesn’t make me anti-American,” Treat said.
He said he is proud of the United States, but the country is at its best when it draws upon the wisdom of its citizens.